PART IV
THE MYTHOLOGY OF PERFECT WORLD - PART IV Heaven's Tear ''' As the spirit of Pan Gu rose over the plane of his Perfect World, he cast his gaze down upon its now scared surface. His eyes swelled with tears as he beheld the war spears of his Children, breathed the smoke of fields still burning. heard the cries of those who resisted the call of The Void. His heart broke as he watched armies of the Five Races massing one against the other, the steel boots of their armies of war marching over the hills, burning and ravishing the land as they clashed in battle. His ears echoed with the cries of the failthful, who even now were being hunted as animals by their corrupted brethern, driven to madness with dreams of power. Reaching down into the boiling cauldron of energy that was the essence of all that could be, Pan Gu withdew a small portion of its mass. This he sculpted first into walls, then rooms, then finally great halls. His head bowed in concentration,he molded more of the sustance of creation into brick after brick, carefully placing them one upon hte other. Slowly, an immense palace emerged from his labors, its borders stretching far into the distance, the roof of its towers rising into the clouds. its vast avenues and buildings that soared above the tallest of Pangu's peaks. A great city, larger than any ever crafted upon the face of Pangu, stood gleaming with streets of gold, buildings radiant as ther rarest and most precious of jewels. Pan Gu, with the critical eye of a master craftman, inspected the rise of every step and the fit of every stone of the city he had crafted. When finally he looked up from his work, his heart was satisfied with his labors, and his thoughts returning to the task that remained ahead. Pan Gu inhaled, air filling his mighty lungs, and exhaled, his breath whirling like the winds of a tornado. The zepher of his breathe rushed though the lowest valley to the highest peak, with a life of its own, intent in its purpose. It came upon Pangu as a gentle breeze, swirlng around what remained of his faithful Children, those who had thus far resisted the cold call of The Void, sweeping them high into the air, away from the terrible spears of their brethern, until each of his faithful stood before him at the gates of the refuge Pan Gu had created for them. His Children walked into this vast city that stretched on before them, marveling at the warm halls and homes prepared for their arrival. Each massive dwelling was ablaze with the light from earthern hearths, pantries stocked to overflowing, and beds layered in pillows softer than the clouds beckoned their weary heads. Inside the halls of this magnificent city, the craftsmen of Pan Gu's Children found shops, the blacksmiths lead to anvils, shelves lined with the precious metals and littered with jewels. Tailors found looms, smooth and well wrought, surrounded by bails of the finest of silk. The soldiers found store rooms of armor, blades inscribed with runes of power. Scholars found immense libraries filled with bound tomes and scrolls of knowledge both mundane and arcane, written and bound by hand of Pan Gu himself. Farmers found the fields that surrounded the city filled with rich soil and fertile planes that stretched as far as the horizon. Water flowed freely from massive fountains of gold. All manner of beast that had remained pure and uncorrupted walked the woodlands that encircled this gleaming city, rich and lush with plants that grew tall and true. And above the city rose Pan Gu himself, welcoming his Children into the halls he had preparted for them. Once all had entered and secured themselves within this grand city, Pan Gu set himself a short distance away. With a gesture, the earth that clung to the city began to quake, and the city slowly rose into the air. Pan Gu, his brow knit with concentration, willed the city to rise, carried higher and higher still into the air until it kissed the very heavens themselves. So rose this shining city, carrying the last of all that was good and true in his world, up among the stars. When Pan Gu gestured again, the city stopped its accent, and this refuge of the Children of Pan Gu remained floating above the surface of the world. The city, sculpted by the hands of Pan Gu himself, remains there even now, suspended in the clouds. All that remained pure and uncorrupted in the world of Pangu now resided whithin the walls of this shining city, which would become known as Heaven's Tear. '''The Great Flood Once again, Pan Gu turned his thought back to his creation, corrupted and blackened by the rot of The Void. Glancing at its black waters the remained of his once might oceans, the sticken animals whose corpses lay smoldering in fields black with soot. The air was full of shouts of rage and madness as his Children, embracing the dark visions of power whispered into their souls, now raised weapons of war against one another. Pan Gu was overcome with sadness, his heart filled with sorrow that ate away at the fabric of his soul. For the first time in his long existance, Pan Gu began to weep. Tears feel from his eyes as a mist, then a steady rain, then a downpour, then a raging torrent, a storm vast beyond measure and terrible in its scope. Pan Gu, now lost in his grief wept unabated. Where his tears fell, thunderheads rose, black and swollen, lighning streaking the heavens of Pangu, streaking the air with jagged bolts of light. And still Pan Gu wept. In the deluge, pools of water grew into streams, then rivers flowing swiftly into the seas. There even the seas began to rise and churn. sending waves crashing back upon the shores at their boreders. Ever further the waves crept, swelling and hurling itself further and further inland. The deluge grew a relentless flood, its waters rising high over mountain ranges and seeping deep into the crust of the earth.Wood and stone alike was ripped asunder, the force of the flood crushing all that stood. And still Pan Gu wept Those who remained of the Children of Pan Gu sought shelter against the terrible strength of the flood, but their walls of wood and stone and metal were torn asunder by the unstoppable force of the waters that rushed towards them. Dark beasts, twisted and misshapen by the corruption of The Void, fell from the air, stricken by the silver bolts of lightening that crisscrossed the black sky. The ground began to buckle and quack, forming great fissures in the earth, hills were ground to dust, canyons swollen with the waters of flood and storm. And still Pan Gu wept. The torrential waters rose higher still, swallowing land, overrunning forrests, Still Pan Gu wept, until the torrential waters washed over the bounderies of the world, swollowing the peaks of mountains and rising ever higher into the blackened sky. Those in Heaven's Tear were too filled with sorrow for the lose of their world and and deep shame for the actions of their brethern. But in their hearts, even filled with remorse, still burned that which was best in Pan Gu. In that moment, witnessing the grief that tore at the soul of their creator, each creature with a voice began to sing. All creatures possessed of limb began to dance, their bodies swaying to the song of joy that now filled the air. The beauty of their song and the grace of their dance pierced the tornadic winds that ripped across Pangu, and the waves calmed themselves in answer to their song. And Pan Gu was snapped from the depths of his depression as if pulled from a deep chasm, his mind slowly turning away from his pain, his tears abating and then ceasing altogether. His mind again turned to those in Heaven's Tear, that fraction of life that remained of his Perfect World, those that still represented what he saw as best within himself. As he glanced towards the golden floating city, he saw it radiant with light and life, warmth and heat, shining brighter than a thousand stars. Pan Gu drew strength from the power of the song, its voices warming his heart, his radiance slowly returning as the joy of life was returned to his soul. He opened his heart to his people, his children that had held steadfast in the darnkess and resisted the whispers of corruption. His aura touch the fabric of every being who remained, comforting them in the embrace of the divine. As his Children had looked to their creator for strength, so had Pan Gu drew comfort from the light of his creations. Pan Gu felt his spirit once again burst with the flames joy and love, and he shone with the light of inner peace at last. Under these twins suns of hope and joy, the waters of despair that had overrun Pangu began to receed; first from the oceans, rivers and lakes, then the streams and pools, all resumed their natural course. The land, though bare and scared, was at last cleansed of the foul stink of corruption that had for so long smothered its surface. Pan Gu's heart, like his land, was scared beyond all repair, but was lifted by the hope of his creations that even now sang songs of love and happiness. Again did Pan Gu breathe, a gentle wind that lifted those who had been preserved in the golden city back to the surface of the earth. And his heart was filled once again, not with grief for that which had been lost, but with renewed hope for those who yet remained.